Over 350 million people
live in the Middle East. The Middle East (see political
map), for the purposes of this module, includes the states of

Egypt
 Saudi
Arabia
 Yemen
 Oman
 United
Arab Emirates (UAE)

Qatar
 Bahrain
 Kuwait
 Iran
 Iraq

SyriaTurkeyLebanonJordanIsrael

It is important to note
that at this time there is no state of Palestine--only territories
(the Gaza Strip and portions of the West Bank) within the Middle East
that are controlled by the Palestinian National Authority.

The peoples of the Middle
East can be differentiated on the basis of their ethnicity, religion,
and national identity.

EthnicityArabs constitute
the majority ethnic group in all of the Middle East states except
Iran, Israel, and Turkey (see political
map):

Originally, the term "Arab"
referred to the peoples that inhabited the northern and central portions
of the Arabian Peninsula. Following the
spread of various Arab-Islamic empires throughout the Middle East
and into Europe and south Asia (see History),
the term "Arab" has come to be synonymous with those who speak Arabic.
Presently, about 60% of the total population in the Middle East speak
Arabic and consider themselves to be an Arab.

In addition to Arabs, there
are a number of other ethnic groups in the Middle East. The chart
below lists the states in the Middle East that do not have an Arab
majority, the ethnic group that makes up the majority, and the percent
of the population each ethnic group has within its particular state.

Another significant ethnic
group would be the Kurds, who exist as a minority population distributed
throughout Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey.

ReligionIn addition to
ethnicity, the peoples of the Middle East are differentiated by their
religion. Most of the people in the Middle East practice Islam.
They are referred to as Muslims. Islam
is the dominant religion in all of the Middle Eastern states except
Israel and Palestinian areas.

According to the list of
states, the Middle East is almost uniformly populated by Muslims.
However, this apparent uniformity of religion masks a number of important
distinctions. For instance, there are a number of different sects
within Islam. Most people in the Middle East belong to the Sunni sect
of Islam.

Another sect, Shiite or
Shia Islam, is the majority religion in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain.
There are also Shiite minorities in Lebanon, Kuwait, and Yemen.

Other smaller sects also
exist within Islam. These sects include, among others, the Alawites,
the Druze, the Ibadis, the Ismailis, the Shafis, and various Sufi
orders.

Islam is practiced in other
countries besides the Middle Eastern states listed above. Over the
centuries Islam spread far and wide, through Asia and Africa, and
even to parts of Europe. This spreading of Islam has resulted in Islam
becoming the dominant religion in non-Middle Eastern states such as
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia. There
are also large numbers of Muslims in the Philippines, China, the former
Yugoslavia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, parts of Europe, and even the United
States. In fact, more Muslims live outside the Middle East than within.

In addition to Islam, other
religions are practiced in the Middle East. For example, in Israel
82% of the population are Jews who practice Judaism.
Israel the only state in the Middle East where Islam is not the majority
faith. Christianity is also practiced in the region, especially in
such states as Lebanon, Egypt, and Israel.

National IdentityThe peoples of
the Middle East are differentiated by their national identity (such
as people who live in Syria are Syrian, people who live in Iran are
Iranian, etc.). While ethnic and religious identities are important
in the Middle East, people often have a strong sense of nationalism
(a strong attachment to the state) that is connected to their national
identity. These individuals often place more emphasis on their country
of origin than their ethnic or religious background.